


Of Staples

by Hokuto



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Character Study, Gen, Introspection, Pre-Canon, Vignette
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2009-11-14
Updated: 2009-11-14
Packaged: 2017-10-02 18:05:12
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 462
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9170
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hokuto/pseuds/Hokuto
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Warning signs: not always as clear as one might like.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Of Staples

Xehanort always leaves the old staples in his files after adding to them. It drives Even crazy, as by dint of a silent but mutual agreement among the other apprentices, he's the one in charge of the paper copies. (It isn't that they dislike him, and he does have a very fine scientific mind, but it seems better to them if he isn't around people very much.)

He complains about it to Xehanort, but Xehanort just laughs and says that a few extra staples in a file don't matter, it's the work within the files and in their lab that's important; "Don't get caught up in unimportant little details when we have worlds to explore," he says and smiles, and Even lets it go for the moment. Xehanort smiles like their master, and it's difficult to stay annoyed with him.

Of course, Even complains to everyone else as well, but they're used to that. "Look at these files!" he says any time someone comes into the file room while he's there, and holds up sheafs of paper accusingly. "They're getting _warped_ because he won't take the time to remove the extra ones, can't you see?" Ienzo, having a hidden streak of OCD himself, sometimes takes pity on him and helps him clean out the worst offenses, but otherwise no one takes it seriously. Even wouldn't be Even if he weren't complaining about something, and they're all fond of their master's latest disciple. They helped nurse him back to health, even temperamental Braig and the baby Ienzo, a year younger than their memoryless foundling; they taught him everything they knew, and he's become first a brilliant student and then researcher in his own right (if not always quite as brilliant as he thinks he is). And when he comes around to each of them with eyes glowing and golden rather than soft brown to tell them of the door he's discovered, files are the last thing on their minds...

Much later, as everything is coming to pieces around them and nothing goes the way it should, Vexen wonders if he should have paid more attention to these things. Had it been a sign? Should he have known? If he'd just been firmer with the boy...

Although the days when Ienzo and Xehanort were the children of the laboratory are long gone, he brings it up to Zexion anyway. Zexion smiles at the reminder of such old matters - trust Vexen to remember something like abused files! - but it's only the memory of a smile. He says, "I really don't think it meant anything. It was only staples..."

"They were only our hearts," Vexen says with unexpected bitterness, and maybe Zexion is right and staples aren't hearts, but Xemnas has wasted them all the same.


End file.
